


Christmas Mourning

by Entwinedlove



Series: Twelve Days of Death Eater Xmas [12]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Implied miscarriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2019-07-24 19:15:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16181456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Entwinedlove/pseuds/Entwinedlove
Summary: The one where we're reminded that Death Eaters are people too.





	Christmas Mourning

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Death Eater Express's 12 Days of Christmas  
> day 12 prompt: mistletoe, holly, and all things jolly / "Happy Christmas, you pack of bastards." / I swear to Merlin, if I unwrap this gift and it's something disgusting, you're dead."
> 
> [ ](https://i.imgur.com/5AwyIbO.jpg)

Bast glanced around at the small gathering of friends. Bella and Roddy were hosting their own little holiday luncheon on the Solstice this year and the guests were instructed to bring a gift suitable for any witch or wizard for some sort of exchange. Bast had decided a bottle of elf-made wine would be suitable and carried that along with him. Bella had pursed her lips when he showed it to her and conjured a box and shiny silver paper to wrap it with. Another tap of her wand had the wine hidden in the box and wrapped up with a slightly lopsided bow on top. "That's better. Will you put it on the gift table, Bast?" she asked. Her eyes were shiny, almost glassy, and Bast wasn't sure if she was drunk or under an Imperius Curse. He found he didn't care enough to know either way. Were he to ask, he'd probably find that he was interrupting some odd kinky game between her and Roddy.

Bast left her in the foyer and spotted a side table that was decorated with mistletoe, holly, and other jolly Christmasy things with other wrapped gifts. He left his boxed bottle of wine near the back as his eyes tracked over the multitude of colourful-shaped packages.

"Bast!" he turned at hearing his name to see Addy leaving Selwyn's arm to greet him with a hug. He wrapped his arms around her in return and felt his brow furrow at the odd press of something against his groin. When they separated, his gaze followed down her body to stop at her stomach. He couldn't tell from her robes but he was almost sure she'd gained weight, specifically there.

"Addy," he greeted her, pressing his face against her temple and hearing her giggle at his facial hair, "Are you—?"

"Not a word," she hissed quietly back. His brows raised but he kept his mouth closed and gave her a nod.

"You didn't have a date to bring, Rabastan?" Piers Selwyn asked as he joined Bast and his sister after their greeting.

"This eternal bachelor?" Roddy asked, stepping up behind Bast and patting him on the back. "Nah, he'd sooner eat his wand, I think."

Bast just grinned and rolled his eyes at his brother. "Not seeing anyone at the moment," he said, then amended, "Well, anyone that qualifies to be at a gathering of this... calibre." He let his eyes look around at the other guests. Narcissa and Lucius were chatting with Georgia and Paul Flint, Rebecca and Jillian Travers were speaking with Evan Rosier and Cordovan Crabbe, and Gianna Montague and Piers' sister, Teresa were watching him from where Addy and Piers had left them to greet him.

"Have you properly met my sister, Rabastan?" Piers asked. "She's a few years younger than you, in Hufflepuff."

"Weren't you all in Hufflepuff?" Bast asked, holding a little contempt in his voice. He did not like Piers and he doubted he would be interested in his sister.

"Well, yes, but..."

"They've met, Piers," Addy told her husband. "They both attended our wedding."

"Oh, that's right," he said, he gave a half-hearted nod at Bast before he returned to his sister and her friend. Bast knew the Montagues, Georgia and Gianna, both were in Slytherin like the rest of the guests.

"Bast," Roddy said, and the hand that had been resting on his shoulder closed over the top and he was steered along the side of the room for a moment of privacy. "Wasn't Regulus supposed to come with you?"

"If he was, it's news to me. Why would you think so?"

"Well, he's your best mate and..."

Bast's eyebrows raised and the smirk that graced his lips might have brassed his brother off more. The last time Roddy had seen he and Regulus it was in an intimate moment between them. Like, Regulus's cock in Bast's mouth sort of intimate. Bast's heart had been thrumming with the anticipation of his brother's disapproval of his extracurricular activities. "And?"

Roddy's eyebrows furrowed and his lips pressed together tightly. "Don't make me speak about it. I just thought that with that sort of... closeness between you that you would know if he were coming to Bella's little party. She's made every effort to find engaging, dinner partners for all of our single friends."

Bast's smirk slipped into a full smile. "You didn't tell her?"

"Of course, I didn't tell her!" he said, speaking a little too loudly and they both glanced around at the other guests. Everyone was too well-mannered to look up at them but if they all shifted their weights towards them and strained their ears to hear, Bast wasn't one to point it out. "Bella and I have... well, we have our own things to deal with. I didn't feel the need to dash her hopes of match-making."

Bella's voice calling out Regulus's name had them both turning to see her greeting her cousin with a little too much enthusiasm. Regulus's eyebrows had raised as she pressed herself tightly against him in a hug that he wasn't expecting. Bast glanced back at his brother with a question in his eyes. For as long as he'd known Bella, she wasn't the hugging type.

With the last guest's arrival, Bella called them all to the midday meal. Bast sat between Rebecca Travers and Gianna Montague and smiled and charmed them both. When the meal was over and Bella directed them back into the parlour for the gift exchange, her demeanour was still off with too many smiles and too much enthusiasm. Bast watched as Narcissa ended up with his gift of wine and Bella was given a small box that looked like it came from Gianna Montague if her wiggling excitement was any clue.

"Wait, there's one here," Piers said, offering another box from his pocket.

Addy and Bella's lips both pursed at Piers but Bella handed the box she had partially unwrapped to Piers and took his box from him. Piers finished the job and found a voucher to Twillfit and Tattings nestled inside. He grinned and showed it off, handing it to Addy with a glance down at her stomach. Bella coughed lightly at his obvious look before she started unwrapping the dark blue matte paper on the gift Piers had handed her.

"I swear to Merlin, if I unwrap this gift and it's something disgusting, you're dead," she said, grinning too brightly. Bast glanced up to Addy to see she'd gone pale and she was starting to shake her head back and forth. Roddy looked up in time to see the motion but not before Bella finished unwrapping the small box to find a pair of wool baby booties in a delicate light blue and a rattle. Bella choked on a gasped and her lips quivered before she stood, "Please excuse me," she muttered, letting the box and baby items fall from her stiff fingers and rushing out of the room.

Roddy stood, unsure if he should go after his wife or if he should continue playing the host. Being a good husband won out and he muttered harshly, "Happy Christmas, you pack of bastards," before he followed his distraught wife out of the room.

Narcissa stood and immediately took control as if she were the hostess, directing everyone back to the dining room for pudding and brandy.

Bast lingered towards the back of the room as the other guests followed her lead and watched as Regulus glanced in the direction Bella and Roddy had gone but decided against the intrusion. Addy and Piers were the last two in the room when Addy turned on her husband with anger in her eyes and her wand in her hand. "I told you to keep that gift aside once I found out. You horrible person! Why would you—" She shrieked as quietly as she could and clenched her wand tighter which caused bright gold sparks to shoot from the tip.

"I didn't—"

"You have a bad habit of giving inappropriate gifts, Selwyn. Maybe you should just stop attending these sorts of events," Bast said, quiet and calm as he stepped beside his sister. "I don't think any of us would notice your absence, much less miss you. I'd give your respects to our hosts if I didn't think they'd hex me as a messenger. Leave."

Piers' eyes darkened as his expression soured and he looked like he wanted to say something to his wife before he glanced back at Bast. "Fine, I'll see you at home," he told Addy before Disapparating.

"I wish you wouldn't," she muttered. She leaned against Bast and closed her eyes. She's my best friend and I had no idea."

"Why don't you leave him, Adelaide?"

"I can't, Bast, you know I can't." Her hand went down to her own belly. "Mother and Father would never..."

He nodded. "Come on, let's go pretend everything's all right for all the non-family guests."

She gave him a slight one-armed hug before standing back up and tidying her skirt. "Yes, I suppose we must."


End file.
